On Call
by Bakura13
Summary: Things go from bad to worse as Sasuke starts reacting a little sluggish and is getting more stubborn. Could it be that he is ill? Not to worry, Naruto and Sakura to the rescue! Or will it do more harm than good...
1. Chapter I: I am not sick

Chapter I – I am not sick  
  
[Another weird idea... don't ask me why. Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto]  
  
Out in the middle of a training field, three Genin sat patiently as their teacher silently stood in front of them, watching them with his arms crossed over his chest. One of the three kids, a spiky blond boy, was a little more impatient and energetic as he stared back with expectant blue eyes at their Sensei. The next one was a pink-haired girl who was starting to get a little irritated from the waiting but kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt Kakashi's thinking. The last of the three young Genin was a cool- mannered boy who seemed not to be interested in Naruto's fidgeting or Sakura's glances. He sat there silently, looking off to the side in little interest about anything except wanting to get stronger. Fortunately, it was another one of those days where Kakashi would start giving them merciless training.  
  
"Oi! Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto piped up. "Do we have a proper mission today?"  
  
"Don't be foolish." Kakashi replied, uncrossing his arms. "I'm sure you three remember that bell exercise from the Survival Training... I've decided to see how much you've all improved..."  
  
Naruto slammed a fist into his open hand and replied with an impish grin. "This should be simple!"  
  
"You're not going to make us do this exercise on empty stomachs again, are you?" Sakura suppressed the urge to whine out that comment. She did not want to have the same situation repeat again.  
  
"I wasn't planning to but since you brought it up..." Kakashi trailed off, getting dreaded looks from the Genin except from Sasuke. "I'm kidding! Though expect that in the future if I decide you three need more severe training. It's still morning and I'm sure that all of you had eaten something before you came here..."  
  
Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling unusually sick to his stomach that morning. He remembered trying to eat his breakfast earlier and found it quite difficult. Firstly, he woke up feeling drained and with a slight headache that had still not completely disappeared. Next, he couldn't really get himself to swallow his breakfast. It just felt like it stuck to the back of his throat and almost caused him to gag a few times. When he had left his home, he was almost blinded by the sunlight. His eyes felt more irritated and it only annoyed him more. He muttered under his breath, as he didn't notice the awkward silence from the rest of his group or really feeling the odd looks that he was getting.  
  
Naruto blinked a few times, wondering why his fellow Genin didn't look at least interested for the difficult training lesson. He crawled over on his hands and knees to the quiet boy, leaning in slightly and blinking yet again, getting curious. Sasuke finally opened his eyes and immediately reared back from the close encounter with Naruto. His eyebrow started twitching slightly at how close their faces were, dreadfully remembering that certain... ahem... classroom kissing incident. Never again did he want that to happen...  
  
Sakura looked at the dark-haired Genin curiously. "Sasuke-kun, is something wrong?"  
  
"Che... Stay out of my face, you moron..." Sasuke muttered as he sat back a foot from where he was originally sitting.  
  
Sakura could only blink, staring at the quiet boy. She started to wonder if perhaps he looked a little... more pale than usual? Her attention was brought back to Kakashi as he cleared his throat.  
  
"As before, there are two bells. Why, you ask? Well, the unlucky one of you brats is going to have a special task to do if you do not get a bell. Ready?" Kakashi asked, getting nods of reply from two out of three trainees. "Now get out of here. Go hide yourselves."  
  
Naruto pointed at Sasuke almost accusingly, having the same impish grin as before. "You're not going to beat me this time, Sasuke! Every other time, I have gone easy on you!"  
  
Sasuke clenched a fist slightly, barely hearing Naruto's boldness as nothing but an annoying rush of words and quite frankly... it especially was getting on his short nerves today. He stood up, his eyebrow starting to twitch more as Naruto continued the verbal 'assault'. Kakashi watched the boy with his uncovered eye with masked concern and wondered why he hasn't jumped off into the given challenge.  
  
"Just shut the hell up already!" Sasuke snapped as he swung a quick punch right for Naruto's face, wincing as his throat felt like it was burning.  
  
Kakashi took a swift leap forward and caught Sasuke's fist just barely inches from the blond boy's face, causing him to stop nattering on immediately. ' His fist is slack...'  
  
Sasuke tried to yank his hand back but Kakashi held his fist in place, watching the boy more carefully at his slightly flushed face. The dark- haired boy was starting to get annoyed and he knew that his hand felt a bit weak but would have been effective enough to give Naruto a good hit.  
  
"You can argue later." Kakashi said, finally releasing the boy's fist. "You three already know the objective of this training so figure out what you're going to do and come find me when you've figured it out... In the meantime..." He reached into his pocket and took out a book, starting to walk away as he started reading through the pages. "I have to know what happens next..."  
  
Sakura sweatdropped heavily, not bothering to question why their Sensei had the nerve to read that sort of books when they were training to be ninjas. She just sighed and looked back at the other two boys, finding them glaring daggers at each other.  
  
"You heard Sensei!" She said, stepping in between them. "Let's not mess it up like last time. We have to work together on this! Now, let's try sneaking up on him from different angles but not all at once or it will give us away."  
  
"I'll go out first!" Naruto said overconfidently, jabbing a thumb towards his own chest. "I have just the thing to get those bells!"  
  
"Don't forget about Sasuke-kun and I!" Sakura crossed her arms. "We'll catch him off-guard. Okay! Let's go!"  
  
The three leaped off into different directions, taking hiding spots under bushes and in trees. Kakashi stood in a clearing, pretending to read through his book as he scanned the area with his uncovered eye calmly.  
  
'So they've finally decided to show up...' He thought. 'Hiding in almost the same spots as last time...'  
  
Sasuke stayed perched on a well-hidden tree branch and watched the target. His clothing felt strangely a little weighed down today and he started to wonder why it was so warm early in the morning... or maybe it was just him. He flicked his gaze around, wondering where Naruto could have been and if he was hiding well enough. Finally, he saw a flash of orange leap down from a tree and head straight towards Kakashi who seemed more interested in his book.  
  
"Aha! I've got you now Sensei!" Naruto yelled as he made a flying lunge, only to slide face-first across the ground after Kakashi took a long step back.  
  
Sakura certainly wasn't amused by Naruto's little stunt as she hid under a group of bushes, crawling forward a bit to have a better look around. 'He never knows when to be quiet... There's Sasuke! He doesn't look focused... I wonder if something is really bothering him...'  
  
Sasuke gripped the tree branch more tightly as he felt unbalanced and didn't want to give away his position, the slight dizzy feeling making him more uneasy. He saw Sakura dart out as back up for Naruto to try to snatch the bells and he was the only one that was left. He hunched down slightly, taking out a few small shuriken out of his pocket then leapt out from his shelter into the midst of the training. He whipped the shuriken at Kakashi, finding that he dodged them quite easily and the three Genin took a leap at their Sensei one after the other. Sasuke had gotten close enough and his hand grasped one of the bells very loosely and it slipped out of his grasp as Kakashi bolted.  
  
"Damn it!" He growled, feeling a bead of sweat slide down his face as he panted slightly. "Next time..."  
  
'That kid is doing pretty well considering that this might be an off day for him...' Kakashi thought as he leaped into a tree, standing on one of the tree branches to resume his reading.  
  
"Sakura! Naruto!" Sasuke hissed, keeping his eyes to where their Sensei had ran off to. "Both of you go around and stay hidden until I give you the signal..."  
  
"Since when did you take charge?!" Naruto protested.  
  
"You'll know it when you see it..." That was the only thing Sasuke said before he leapt off into the bushes.  
  
"I'm sure whatever Sasuke-kun has planned will work!" Sakura said confidently as she ducked off in one direction.  
  
Naruto sighed, scratching the back of his head then he ran off towards the other side to hide. Just above Kakashi, Sasuke managed to hide himself in the tree. He narrowed his eyes at his Sensei through the leaves of the tree and he quietly pulled out another shuriken. He raised his arm slowly and carefully as Sakura and Naruto watched him, figuring that was signal and stealthily made their way towards Kakashi.  
  
'If I can just aim precisely enough without Naruto making him move...' He thought as he carefully aimed.  
  
A wave of dizziness hit Sasuke more severely this time and he almost slipped off of the tree branch but ended up dropping the small throwing weapon as it hit a few branches and leaves on the way down. Kakashi raised his eye from his reading as he heard the shuriken fall to the ground and Sasuke's cursing.  
  
Kakashi tucked the book back in his pocket and leapt onto the ground as Naruto made another flying leap at him. "I've got you this time, Kakashi Sensei!"  
  
Sasuke tried to ignore the fact that he felt like he was boiling and attempted to keep his focus on his target below but looking at the ground amplified the dizzy spell. This time his knees and ankles actually gave out from weakness and he fell forward, crashing through some of the branches until he hit the ground and causing Sakura to scream.  
  
"Sasuke-kun!" She ran over to his side, kneeling down and hesitantly touching the side of his face. "He's burning up!"  
  
"I'm fine..." Sasuke muttered, pushing Sakura's hand off of his face.  
  
"But-"  
  
"I said I'm fine!" Sasuke snapped, putting his arm over his eyes for a moment. "It's just gotten pretty warm outside..."  
  
"Baka! It's not even noon yet!" Naruto said as he ran over, followed by Kakashi shortly after.  
  
"Sasuke, if you're fine then stand up." Kakashi stated, watching the said boy with his uncovered eye.  
  
"But Sensei!" Sakura protested then stopped when Kakashi raised a hand.  
  
"Well?" Kakashi waited again. "Sakura, don't help him."  
  
The other two Genin students and their teacher watched as Sasuke started getting up unsteadily. The balance problem was obvious as Sasuke almost fell back as he stood up straight if he didn't catch himself doing so.  
  
"There..." He answered more bitterly than he meant to.  
  
"Hrm..." Kakashi leaned down, watching the boy's face sternly.  
  
There was an awkward silence as he watched Sasuke and he knew that it was starting to get on the boys nerves. Kakashi flashed out a kunai right under Sasuke's chin, catching him off-guard as the boy gulped slightly but unintentionally.  
  
Kakashi sighed, shrugging as he put the small dagger away. "Your reflexes are as slow as ever and you're in no condition to even do training."  
  
"Che..." Sasuke looked away to the side, obviously bothered.  
  
"Well, let's head back." Kakashi simply said.  
  
The group started walking back towards the village and Sasuke hung back a few feet away from the rest of the Genin. He kept his head down and looked at the ground in front of him silently. He was extremely irritated from the fact that Kakashi had called it a day before noon just because he wasn't up to par with his reflexes. He made a mental note to himself...  
  
'I'm not sick... they only think I am so I'll play along with their little game for a while... and get back to my own training if they are doing nothing else...' He thought bitterly.  
  
He blinked for a moment, thinking of what could have caused him feeling weird. He scowled to himself, remembering that Naruto was trying to beat him at the special tree climbing once again a few days back. Naruto, being the clumsy hyper kid he was, he gotten ahead of Sasuke that time and lost his footing, falling back into the dark-haired boy and making them fall into a river. And if things couldn't have gotten any worse on that day, it started to rain as well and Sasuke refused to wear something to shield himself from the water.  
  
Sakura, obviously concerned, looked back at Sasuke and noticed that he was looking worse than he had at the beginning of training. He started a small coughing fit and she watched with dread as Naruto hung back.  
  
"Oi!" Naruto stood in front of Sasuke, blocking his path. "How come you didn't tell any of us that you were sick?"  
  
"I'm not si-" Another coughing fit and Sasuke scowled. "Sick... I am not sick..."  
  
"You are too!" Naruto accused, walking backwards to keep up with the rest of the group.  
  
"No, I'm not..." Sasuke answered calmly again but was obviously getting more ticked off. "Besides, if I was sick, I wouldn't be moaning and groaning like you do for even the smallest thing..."  
  
Naruto shot a glare at the other boy, still walking backwards. "At least I admit it and not try to get attention by pretending nothing's wrong!"  
  
It was Sasuke's turn to glare at Naruto. "You're the one craving for attention from people and I'll admit nothing to anyone... especially not you..."  
  
"Kakashi Sensei! Aren't you going to stop them from arguing?" Sakura asked, looking up at her teacher.  
  
Kakashi only shrugged. "Nope."  
  
Sakura blinked and looked back at the glaring boys. "But why not?"  
  
Kakashi was about to answer but Naruto and Sasuke dashed right past him. "... Oi! You two get back here!"  
  
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called after him. "Naruto! Stop teasing him!"  
  
"I can beat you blind-folded, sick boy!" Naruto glared at Sasuke beside him. "Eat my dirt!"  
  
This time Sasuke had enough and replied quite bitterly as breathed heavily. "Go... to hell..." Then it hit him again.  
  
Kakashi's gaze narrowed as he watched the boy hit the ground and slide to a stop. Naruto blinked and skid to a stop, looking back at Sasuke confusedly.  
  
"Sasuke?" Naruto questioned, leaning down and poking the boy in the back and he got more nervous. "... Sasuke?"  
  
He continued poking Sasuke more, finding that he didn't bother to get up or spit an insult at him. Kakashi and Sakura hurried over and his gaze still remained solemn as he watched Sakura attempt to tend to him.  
  
"Sasuke-kun? Wake up! Sasuke-kun!"  
  
[Once again, I leave chapters at weird spots. Was it odd? Or was it... well, not fun... yet... I've probably misspelled a few things as usual.] 


	2. Chapter II: Don’t be so stubborn

Chapter II – Don't be so stubborn  
  
[Whee... thanks for the reviews. This originally was gonna be a humor fan  
fiction but I couldn't really get myself to make it... fun at all.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.]  
  
Sakura and Naruto sat quietly in Sasuke's house, after putting him in his own bed and they waited for Kakashi to return after getting a few medicinal herbs. Sakura sat on a wooden stool, nervously tapping her fingers on her knees as she watched Sasuke sleep rather restlessly. She grabbed the wet cloth from the small bowl of water she had prepared earlier and wrung some of the water out, placing the cold cloth on Sasuke's burning forehead.  
  
"Is he awake yet?" Naruto asked for the numerous time from his sitting place on the windowsill.  
  
"Naruto, for the last time, no!" Sakura answered in a hushed tone then brushed some of Sasuke's hair away from his eyes. "Poor Sasuke-kun... why didn't he tell one of us..."  
  
Naruto eyed Sasuke's forehead protector on the table then looked back at the two. "He's a jack ass, that's why!"  
  
"This is your fault, Naruto!" Sakura hissed at him, shooting a glare at the said person.  
  
"My fault?!" Naruto protested, pointing accusingly at the unconscious Sasuke. "He's the one that's afraid to admit anything and being a stubborn jack ass!"  
  
"You are the one that kept teasing him in the first place! You knew he wasn't feeling well and you tried to prove something! He could have gotten really hurt!" Sakura rose her voice slightly.  
  
"Oh, right! Like falling out of a tree won't get him hurt..." Naruto muttered sarcastically. "He should have at least broken his arm from the fall, when he was running at least he was closer to the ground!"  
  
Sasuke shifted slightly, causing the arguing pair to go silent almost immediately. He might have fallen unconscious earlier but that didn't stop his imagination from torturing him with a nightmare. He was at its mercy...  
  
"Sasuke-kun...?" Sakura asked quietly, seeing the boy grip the sheets tightly in a clenched fist.  
  
Sasuke was trapped in the nightmare world and it was shadowy. He was standing in darkness in an almost intolerable heat and it was getting worse. He looked along the pitch-blackness, his breathing slightly more strenuous and the sound of his own heartbeat pounded in his ears. There was silence... deafening silence. It was starting to make him more anxious and he took a few hesitant steps back, only to hear a fast rushing noise then felt something stab into his shoulder. He winced and put a hand to his shoulder, pulling out a needle. His eyes widened slightly as he examined the small throwing weapon and recognized it as one of Haku's Senbon Needles. He heard the same sound again and couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. He looked around almost frantically then saw the points of the needles not even an inch from his eyeballs. He froze, trailing his gaze up the arm of the needle's owner and found a masked boy looking at him emotionlessly: Haku.  
  
He didn't dare move, forgetting that he was stuck in a perilous dream and watched as Haku pulled his arm back over his chest, holding the needles out towards the side. There was more silence with exception of Sasuke's audible heartbeat. He narrowed his eyes slightly and brought his hands up, preparing to use one of his Justus when he felt the excruciating pain in his hands. He looked down and his eyes widened, finding his hands speared with needles by Haku. Sasuke started to back up again, seeing Haku raise more Senbon needles to throw at him. Sasuke winced when it seemed to rain from all directions... later finding out that it was storming needles ripping him to shreds.  
  
Sasuke sat up quickly in bed, a cry caught in his throat but then resulted in a violent coughing fit. Sakura started patting his back, fearing that he wouldn't start breathing after the coughing fit that started to sound more like choking. The coughing had subsided for a moment but left Sasuke almost rasping for breath as he looked at his shaking hands, wide-eyed.  
  
"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, worrying for him more.  
  
Sasuke clenched his hands into fists but his grip didn't feel as strong before and he looked up at Sakura and Naruto. Naruto only blinked as he looked back at the other.  
  
"... What are you-" Sasuke's voice cracked slightly. "... What are you doing in my house..."  
  
"Sasuke-kun... you're shaking..." Sakura said as she moved her hand to his shoulder.  
  
Sasuke flicked his gaze to Sakura and moved, almost falling off of the other side of the bed. "Back off... I'm fine..."  
  
Naruto hopped down from his spot on the windowsill and walked over with his arms crossed over his chest overconfidently. "You fell out of a tree and wiped out on the field... Yeah, I'd say you're perfectly fine."  
  
"Shut up, baka..." Sasuke growled, wincing and he put a hand to his throat as it burned.  
  
"Oh, and you lost." Naruto went on further, an impish grin on his features. "Since you tripped, I win by default."  
  
Sasuke blinked, thinking about what Naruto meant then he glowered at the boy. "I don't give a damn... get the hell out of here..."  
  
"Liar! You lost and you're too chicken enough to accept defeat!" Naruto pointed at him.  
  
"Naruto, stop bothering him!" Sakura glared at the said person then held out a glass of water to Sasuke. "Here, you should at least drink something..."  
  
Sasuke shifted back and rested his head on the wall, closing his eyes. "I don't want it..."  
  
"... Sasuke-kun, take it...onegai." Sakura said again, holding it out to him more. "You're running a fever..."  
  
Sasuke muttered another 'no' and turned his head away. He didn't want to be bothered nor treated like a child and he definitely didn't want to be bed-ridden with people taking care of him each time he even moved. He glanced at the door to his room to see Kakashi standing there with a bag in one arm.  
  
"Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura said as she looked at him.  
  
He waved a hand in reply and invited himself in. He set the bag on the bed and noticed that Sasuke was starting to climb out of bed.  
  
"Sit." He ordered, seeing Sasuke tense immediately. "You're not going anywhere for a while."  
  
"Hmph..." Sasuke sat back down, crossing his arms as he kept his back to them.  
  
Naruto was about to comment but was cut short when Kakashi slapped his hand over the boy's mouth. He nudged the shopping back over to Sakura who looked at it curiously.  
  
"You'll know what to do with what when you see each herb. If you could be so kind, Sakura, is to make tea for our sick comrade here firstly." Kakashi explained as he crossed his arms. "And Sasuke, don't even think about going anywhere."  
  
"Just leave me alone..." Sasuke muttered.  
  
"Naruto, go help Sakura. I have something else to attend to and I'll be back soon." As sudden as Kakashi had arrived, he had left again.  
  
Naruto grinned, figuring out that he could bother his sick friend later and followed the resentful Sakura out to the kitchen. Sasuke was left alone in his room and he was grateful as he stretched back out on the bed.  
  
'Why don't they just leave me alone...' He thought to himself as he tossed the damp cloth back into the bowl of water.  
  
He heard Naruto getting yelled at by Sakura and only heaved a heavy sigh, turning onto his side. He felt restless but at the same time quite worn out, whether it has been from the training or he really was sick. Sasuke grabbed a pillow and covered his face again, the sunlight starting to bother his eyes for the umpteenth time that morning. He had officially gotten comfortable and he yawned quietly, ignoring the petty arguments from the kitchen that seemed to get closer. He shivered slightly, getting bothered by the slight breeze that blew through the window and ended up pulling the blankets up to his shoulders. The breeze felt like a nice change at first from the boiling feeling but it made Sasuke feel cold at the same time.  
  
Elsewhere in the kitchen, Naruto was getting in Sakura's way and it was starting to annoy her more.  
  
"Don't touch that!" Sakura once again slapped his hand away from the bag. "That is not for you, it is for Sasuke-kun!"  
  
"Ow! That hurt, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined.  
  
"Then stop being annoying!" Sakura answered as she poured the boiling water into a mug with the herbs in it. "And keep quiet!"  
  
"I don't know why you bother worrying about him in the first place," Naruto folded his arms behind his head. "He obviously doesn't want to be bothered and I don't think you babying him makes you so special."  
  
Sakura froze, letting some of the hot water pour onto the counter as she grit her teeth.  
  
"Ne, Sakura-chan... you're missing the cup." Naruto pointed to bluntly then caught her glare. "Eh?"  
  
Naruto watched Sakura slam the kettle back on the stove and he took a nervous step back. Sakura stayed silent, showing a 'kill-on-the-spot' glare as she prepared the tea for Sasuke, completely ignoring the presence of Naruto. The boy blinked a few times, watching Sakura walk off back towards Sasuke's room  
  
"Eh... Sakura-chan..." Naruto started following her then it finally clicked. "... Sakura-chan, don't ignore me! Gomen nasai! Sakura-chan!"  
  
Sakura kept her gaze forward, an anger vein throbbing on her forehead as she took a step or two into the room before she noticed Sasuke.  
  
'He must be sleeping...' She thought.  
  
She walked over, ignoring Naruto's apologizing whines and she sat next to Sasuke's bed quietly. She then slapped her hand over Naruto's mouth, shushing him and she waited quietly, thinking whether or not to wake up the sleeping boy or deal with the other.  
  
"Naruto!" Sakura scolded in a hushed tone. "Sasuke-kun is sick and you know that already! How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?! He's sleeping..."  
  
"No I'm not..." muttered Sasuke through the pillow.  
  
"Well, if you're up, you may as well drink the tea that I made for you." Sakura said, putting her hands back in her lap.  
  
"I don't want it..." Sasuke muttered again, turning onto his other side so his back was to them.  
  
"Sasuke-kun..."  
  
"I'm not going to repeat myself..." Sasuke answered quite bluntly.  
  
Sakura inhaled sharply, getting on the last of her nerves. "And I'm not going to repeat myself either! Sasuke-kun, until you're up and well again, you're just gonna have to suck it up and do what we tell you!"  
  
Sasuke brushed the pillow off his face slightly, looking back at Sakura out of the corner of his eye silently. Naruto blinked a few times at Sakura then joined in the chiding.  
  
"Hai! Sakura-chan is right, Sasuke! You're acting like a bratty kid!" Naruto said, pointing accusingly at the other.  
  
"Nani..." Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, starting to get annoyed again.  
  
"You're pathetic!" Naruto's impish grin widened at Sasuke's glare. "You can even stand up right and even Kakashi Sensei said that you're in no condition to train! If you're gonna be like that then you may as well admit that I'm better than you and stay sick all day in bed for all we care! Is that what the Uchiha do when they're sick? Sit around and do nothing to make it worse as they bitch at people to go away?"  
  
Sasuke tightened his grip around the handle of the kunai that he had hidden from the gaze of the other two in his room. He closed his eyes for a moment, pondering what he should do as he heard Sakura sigh in defeat. He sat up with much more effort, feeling somewhat weaker than earlier and he held his hands out to Sakura as he kept his gaze to the side.  
  
"Eh?" Naruto blinked a few times, wondering what the other boy was doing.  
  
Sakura blinked as well the smiled, glad that Sasuke was being cooperative at least. She picked up the mug of tea from the night table and handed it over to him. Sasuke looked down at the tea he was given then started to drink it calmly and silently, flinching faintly.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked, watching him with worry.  
  
Sasuke looked at the half-finished tea, his eyes narrowing slightly. "..."  
  
"Sasuke-kun...?"  
  
"Che... it's nothing..." He resumed drinking the tea then stopped, looking over the ridge of the mug as he saw Naruto inches from his face. The two glared at each other then Sasuke quickly kicked Naruto off of the edge of the bed. "I'm fine now so go the hell away..."  
  
"Itai!" Naruto grabbed his head as he was kicked off of the bed and hit the floor.  
  
"Quit your whining..." Sasuke said as he handed the mug back to Sakura crossing his arms afterwards.  
  
"Do you want anything to eat?" Sakura asked, noticing Sasuke's flinch.  
  
"I do!" Naruto shot up from the floor, looking hopeful.  
  
"Not you, baka!" Sakura scolded then looked back at Sasuke. "I was talking to Sasuke-kun."  
  
"... No." Sasuke lied, knowing very well that he was in fact hungry.  
  
He already wasn't enjoying the treatment just because he didn't feel too well. He was being treated like a child who had stubbed his toe and his mother was being... well... motherly. He scowled at the thought of food, making a mental note to himself to get his own food as soon as everyone had left him alone... that didn't seem like anytime soon.  
  
"Is anyone home?" A female voice came from the front of the house.  
  
Sasuke shook his head slowly as he automatically knew who it was. Sakura's reaction was another clue from the way that she glared at the closed door, daring the girl to open it and walk in. Naruto, being himself and all, looked clueless as ever as he walked over to the closed door to see who was there.  
  
"Why did I not say that I was asleep..." Sasuke muttered, having a vague idea what was coming next.  
  
The doorknob shifted slightly and then the door was thrown open, revealing who it was... also earning Naruto a stinging face from the all too close acquaintance with the wooden door. Sasuke looked away uninterestedly as Sakura shot up from her chair, as if to guard the Uchiha boy.  
  
"Ino..." The light blond-haired Genin only smirked and invited herself in.  
  
[There we go... Course there are spelling mistakes but I always miss them. Eventually, I'll catch them... just not now. Got stuck a few times on this chapter and it may seem a little fast...but... eh... whatcha gonna do...] 


	3. Chapter III: Run Away

Chapter 3 – Run Away  
  
[Okay, here's the result. FieryKitsune and I have talked to each other  
about the situation of this story and have arrived at a conclusion. Originally, this story was just going to be, I suppose, a normal general one but there will be a few more changes. A genre as been added and it is Angst, that is sort of self-explanatory with the changes. I apologize for  
any confusion the first two chapters might have caused. Disclaimer: I  
don't own Naruto.]  
  
Sasuke looked at Ino with an annoyed look and he really wished that he could just get all of them to leave him alone. First of all, he disliked people taking care of him as if he was a helpless little boy that didn't know what to do. Second, having Naruto taking the opportunity to taunt him was almost driving him up the wall... the hyperactive genin should have already stopped already or at least known his limits...  
  
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked through clenched teeth. "Don't you have anything else to do, Ino pig?"  
  
"Just to check up on Sasuke-kun..." Ino said in a matter-of-fact way. "Besides, forehead girl... I'm sure he could use some cheering up after not seeing anything beautiful in this dreary room..."  
  
Throwing the hidden kunai was looking to be a better and better idea to Sasuke...  
  
"Nani?!" Sakura almost screeched, her hands balled into tight fists. "How dare you say that!"  
  
Naruto looked at one girl then to the other, disliking the fact that they were arguing about Sasuke and always fussing over him when anything happened. He hmphed and folded his arms behind his head as he started leave.  
  
"Ne, I have better things to do... Besides, it's after lunchtime and I'm hungry... Ja." He said as he walked out.  
  
"Hn..." Sasuke almost glared almost hatefully towards the two genin-level girls. "Why don't you two leave..."  
  
"Eh?" Ino looked over at Sasuke. "Oh no. Why would we leave you be yourself while you can have some beautiful company?"  
  
"I don't want company..." Sasuke said bitterly.  
  
"You heard him, Ino pig! Go back to work at the flower shop!" Sakura started pushing Ino back out the door.  
  
"You too..." Sasuke added.  
  
"Nani?" Sakura watched Sasuke worriedly. "But Sasuke-kun..."  
  
"You heard me... I want to be alone... I'm fine..." He turned his head away, as if dismissing the girls with that action.  
  
Sasuke continued to look at the wall and waited until the two girls finally decided to leave. Again, he heaved a heavy sigh.  
  
"I'm going to train..." He said to himself. "I don't care what they say... I have to. This isn't a field day..."  
  
He carefully got out of bed, making sure that he at least had some balanced before he made his way out of his room towards the kitchen. Listening intently, he paused for a moment to make sure that Sakura and Ino were really gone before entering the kitchen and holding onto the counter cautiously.  
  
"Damn it..." He muttered, closing his eyes for a moment until he felt the slight dizzy feeling pass again.  
  
Sasuke opened his eyes and glanced around the kitchen, finding the chair tipped over and there was only one answer... Naruto. He found the shopping bag of herbs that Kakashi had brought earlier and he walked over to it, taking a glance.  
  
"Che... I don't have time to be sick..." He said to himself as he grabbed an apple and started eating it.  
  
He coughed a bit, almost choking on the small pieces of fruit as his throat felt scratchy again. He ate the apple, deciding not to eat another one and started looking for something to at least sooth his throat down slightly before he was going to sneak away to an empty training field.  
  
"This is Naruto's fault..." He muttered again, searching through the bag of herbs until he found the right one he was looking for.  
  
Walking over to the counter, Sasuke found that the kettle was still warm and quickly made a smaller cup of lukewarm tea with the other herb mixed into it. He looked at it for a moment, partly thinking of a way to get out of the main part of the village to a training area before taking his chances and drinking back the beverage in one swoop. He covered his mouth and dropped down to one knee, not letting himself spit it back out. It tasted horrible and almost made him want to bring it all back up but he forced himself to swallow the homemade medicine and waited for a moment.  
  
'I can handle this myself...' He thought, getting up from the kitchen floor and stashing a few more food items into his backpack. 'I have to make up for lost time...'  
  
Checking the provisions he had packed into his bag with his forehead protector, Sasuke slung the backpack over a shoulder and spied out the windows for any sign of Sakura, Ino, Naruto and especially Kakashi. He knew for a fact that their sensei would be one of the first ones to send him back to bed so he put extra effort to keep an eye out for the weird teacher.  
  
'Looks like the coast is clear...' Sasuke thought before slipped out of the front door and walking down the street cautiously, sticking close to the side in case he had to hide at any time.  
  
He still was feeling uneasy but didn't regret getting out of bed that afternoon to do what he needed to do. Training was the highest priority on his list, almost above everything else. He tensed and stepped into an alley, glancing out very slightly as he heard the giggles from some girls as they walked past. Sasuke watched them with his eyes carefully, noticing that they were some of the girls from his class before he had graduated to a Genin level.  
  
'I'll have to avoid them as well...' Sasuke thought bitterly as he continued on his way. 'Knowing Ino and Sakura... the rest of the girls probably know... Sick... what a joke...'  
  
He had managed to get away from the residential district and to the bridge that Team 7 had usually met at. Feeling all too exhausted from that cautious walk, Sasuke took a break and leaned on the railing, keeping his guard up.  
  
"Oi." Someone said from one end of the bridge. "This is something you don't see everyday or should be surprised with..."  
  
Sasuke grabbed a kunai from his pack and held it out at the intruder, finding the other person looking bored and a little scratched up.  
  
"Shikamaru..." Sasuke muttered before looking in the other direction, not wanting to start a conversation.  
  
"Feh... you're more irritated than usual..." Shikamaru said as he walked across the bridge towards the village, his arms folded behind his head. "Where's the rest of your team?"  
  
Sasuke ignored Shikamaru, still holding the kunai tightly in his hands and wished that the other would get the message soon.  
  
"Stuck up as usual..." Shikamaru muttered as he rolled his eyes. "How troublesome..."  
  
Deciding that he had a long enough rest, and enough of contact with people, Sasuke continued his way across his bridge to where Shikamaru had just walked from. He leapt into a tree and started jumping across the branches to get to a secluded training area where he could be by himself and train without any interruptions...  
  
'I couldn't get the bell this morning...' He thought as he carefully watched where he leapt to make sure he didn't slip and fall. 'If I'm not strong enough to get that, no matter what condition they say I'm in, then I have no chance against any unknown opponents...'  
  
Sasuke scowled, the memory of being defeated and 'killed' by the needle user of the Hidden Mist Village. One who was disguised as a Hunternin was able to defeat the Uchiha boy and it only angered him more as he dropped down from the tree, landing on the ground on his feet.  
  
"If I can't even defeat someone like that..." Sasuke said to himself, trailing off.  
  
He scowled again, dropping his backpack at the base of the tree and walked towards the middle of the small clearing, deciding to practice some of his jutsu techniques to make them perfect to the mark. He stood silent for a moment with his eyes closed, focusing as he proceeded with the proper hand seals: Serpent, Tiger, Boar, Horse, Tiger.  
  
"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" He said calmly then blew out a pillar of burning flames out in front of him, scorching the ground but then was cut short but another coughing fit.  
  
He held a hand to his throat, trying to regain his breath from the interrupted technique and glared at the burnt ground.  
  
He clenched a fist tightly despite his health, his knuckles cracking loudly. "I refuse to be reduced to this!"  
  
Sasuke then started to focus his chakra on his feet, still breathing hard from the Ninjutsu technique that died halfway through. He bolted forward towards a tree, almost hell-bent on getting his training done despite how sick he was then started running up the tree as fast as he could. As he neared the top of the tree and leapt off onto another one; continuing to leap towards other trees around the area as fast as his chakra and body would take him.  
  
Back in the main part of the village, Shikamaru was walking down a street with his arms folded behind his head and looking quite bored.  
  
"Ino disappeared from training... Feh... and Chouji is probably eating a second course of lunch..." Shikamaru shook his head, sighing heavily. "How troublesome..."  
  
"Shikamaru!" A voice called out from behind him.  
  
"Eh?" He turned around, seeing Ino and Sakura running over to him. "And what was so important for you to slack off this time... And don't say it was Sasuke..."  
  
"That's not important right now!" Ino snapped back.  
  
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "That is definitely a surprise..."  
  
"Sasuke-kun is missing!" Sakura pushed past Ino. "Kakashi Sensei held a training session this morning and he had to cancel it because of Sasuke- kun! Sasuke-kun told us to leave him be and we did so he could rest for a while. I tried to check on him not even a few minutes ago and he's not there!"  
  
"Sasuke isn't missing..." Shikamaru said as he looked skeptically from one girl to the other. "I just saw him a while ago..."  
  
"Where?!" Both girls yelled, grabbing the collar of the boy's shirt.  
  
Shikamaru blinked in surprise and leaned back. "Oi, back off... It's not my business of what that guy does anyway..."  
  
"Just where did you see him?" Sakura asked again, hoping that her suspicion was wrong. "Onegai, tell us..."  
  
"Hai, hai..." Shikamaru pried their hands off of his shirt and crossed his arms, thinking back. "I was walking back from one of the training fields since Ino 'mysteriously' disappeared from training and Chouji was too hungry to train any further... And I saw Sasuke standing on the bridge..."  
  
Sakura clenched a light fist near her chin in worry, really hoping that she was wrong.  
  
"I asked him where you and Naruto were and he was just being his usual snobby self..." Shikamaru continued. "So I did what I do best... Minded my own damned business..."  
  
"He's training!?" Ino yelled. "But he can't! Not in the condition he's in!"  
  
"That's what Kakashi Sensei said this morning..." Sakura said to herself quietly. "Sasuke-kun..."  
  
"What do you mean in his condition?" Shikamaru asked, glancing at Ino. "He seemed like his normal self... a little more distant than usual but I can't really tell the difference anymore."  
  
"We have to find him..." Sakura said, looking a little sad. "He shouldn't be training..."  
  
Shikamaru didn't like the look that Ino was giving him. "Nani... Oi! Wait a minute! I am not getting involved in this!"  
  
"You already are!" Ino said, grabbing his arm. "If you won't do this for Sasuke-kun then at least do it for the honor of the village by helping one another!"  
  
That was a weakness or even a low blow to anyone in any Shinobi village and Shikamaru just sighed. "How troublesome..."  
  
"Let's go already!" Ino and Sakura started running down the street, with Shikamaru reluctantly following them.  
  
The three ran up the path towards the bridge and stopped, glancing around and finding the area soulless. Sakura walked to the other side of it, looking around the area for any sort of clue of where the Uchiha boy could have gone but found nothing; not even a branch out of place.  
  
"We'll have to split up and look for him... Ino, you check upstream and I'll search for him downstream... Shikamaru, you'll have to search the training areas in between..." Sakura said then she ran off in her chosen direction.  
  
"... How do I get myself involved in these things... He can take care of himself..." Shikamaru muttered before leaping off into the trees that were before him.  
  
He continued jumping through the tree branches, seeing nothing much but the usual forest area and he continued to mutter about how Sasuke was more independent and he didn't need girls fussing over him. After several moments longer, Shikamaru was ready to give up on searching for the quiet Uchiha boy when he finally got a glimpse of someone training all too hard in a clearing. He stopped, crouching quietly on a sturdy tree branch as he took a look on who was there through the leaves.  
  
"Took long enough..." He muttered then noticed something odd about Sasuke... "Eh... what's his problem..."  
  
Sasuke was barely standing on his own two feet as he panted heavily, visibly trembling from weakness that he couldn't put back anymore. He snapped his gaze up, hearing Shikamaru in the tree and threw a few shuriken at the other boy's direction as accurately as he could. Shikamaru jumped down from the tree to avoid ending up being a pincushion and he landed on one knee on the ground, watching Sasuke warily.  
  
"Oi, what's with you..." Shikamaru said, standing up.  
  
"Go... Go away..." Sasuke forced out the words harshly, holding up another handful of shuriken with a shaking hand.  
  
Shikamaru sighed once again, walking towards Sasuke with his arms folded behind his head. "You can stop acting... Ino and Sakura aren't here-... What the hell do you think you're doing!?"  
  
Sasuke dropped the shuriken to the ground and repeated the same hand kata as he did before. Shikamaru immediately stopped.  
  
"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"  
  
[Sort of leaving it off there and I give an apology to FieryKitsune and Sweetdreams0701 for any sort of uneasiness I might have caused them. I hope this modified idea will be sufficient. And there are most likely spelling errors...] 


End file.
